That was then, this is now.
Though nearly two years ago Phil Jackson was less than complimentary about the Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony and his lack of passing, the All-Star stressed Friday his game has evolved and the 11-time coaching champ wasn’t entirely wrong.
Plus, at the time, Anthony thought Jackson was just another critic.
“Maybe at that time, I was shooting the ball a little bit too much,” Anthony said. “I really don’t know what to say or how to respond to those comments. In the past I’ve heard Phil said some things about me. But I don’t take it personal. I don’t take it no way. At that point, he was just another guy who had an opinion.”
Now, Jackson is days away from being Anthony’s boss. That gym joint between Seventh and Eighth Avenues officially becomes the Zen Garden on Tuesday when Jackson is named president. The team announced an 11 a.m. press conference that day for a “major announcement.” Figure retiring Jerome James’ jersey does not qualify as “major.”
Now, Anthony would like to plan to sit down with Jackson at the appropriate time to discuss a variety of topics.
“If he’s coming on board, I’m pretty sure he’s going to want to sit down and talk. I’m hoping to sit down and just have a conversation,” Anthony said. “At the end of the day, it’s Phil Jackson, man. I’m pretty sure all you guys would want to have a one-on-one with him. I’m the same.”
So is Amar’e Stoudemire.
“I’m an avid fan of Phil Jackson,” said Stoudemire, who is expected to be back starting Saturday against Milwaukee. “He has a winning pedigree that’s unmatched. So to have that type of leadership around would be awesome.
“Without a doubt I would love to sit down and just pick his brain about basketball and what it takes to win. So that’s going to be great for us.”
There was a time when Jackson did not seem to share a reciprocating view. During a 2012 interview on HBO’s “Real Sports,” Jackson observed that the Knicks’ roster, with Anthony and Stoudemire, was “clumsy.” Plus, Anthony’s hands represented a place where basketball movement went to die.
“Carmelo has to be a better passer,” Jackson said. “And the ball can’t stop every time it hits his hands. They need to have someone come in that can kind of blend that group together.”
Again, that was then. Now Anthony said he is fueled by title aspirations, and who better to direct those hope than the man who claimed a record 11 as a coach and two more as a player — specifically, a Knicks player.
“I’m hoping. I believe so,” Anthony said about Jackson’s title pedigree making a difference. “But like I said that’s something I’ll have to sit down and really figure out at the end of the season, think about it.
“At the end of the day when that time comes we’re talking about spending … the end of my career in one place. When that time comes, we’ll discuss that.”